Copper: The New Skin Saver

Is this common metal powerful enough to reverse wrinkles?

In ancient Egypt the ankh was the symbol of both eternal life and a sacred metal, copper. It was believed to give magical powers to those who wore it. While eternal life might be a bit of a stretch, it turns out that copper does hold promise for the next-best thing: prolonging youth."Every decade there's a new antiaging ingredient—vitamin A, collagen. Now it's copper," says Dorit Baxter, whose New York Day Spa has been at the forefront of beauty treatments for more than 30 years.

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Even often skeptical doctors are touting copper's ability to combat the ravages of time. "Copper definitely plays an important role in maintaining healthy skin," says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai's Department of Dermatology in New York. "It helps to develop collagen and elastin, which maintain the strength of the skin, and it promotes the production of skin-plumping hyaluronic acid." (Translation: less sagging and fewer lines.) "It also has antibacterial and antifungal properties, which help prevent infections," he adds, which is why it has been used in wound care since the '60s (and shows high hopes for acne treatment too).

Best of all, copper-enhanced lotions and potions pose little danger. "Unlike with other heavy metals, like silver, the risk of toxicity from topically applied copper is low because it is metabolized by the body," Zeichner says. Baxter is one of the beauty experts putting the research into action. She recently began offering a PostSurgery Copper Facial ($135) for the nip-and-tuck crowd to speed up recovery. "The copper helps heal and hydrate skin and is antiaging," she says. The gentle treatment, which includes a lymphatic drainage massage before a layer of copper moisturizer is applied under a paraffin mask, can also reduce the redness and flaking caused by popular laser treatments like Fraxel. Baxter uses Blue Copper 5 Firming Elasticity Repair cream ($85) by Osmotics. "Compared with other antiaging ingredients, the science, safety, efficacy, and clinical validation of copper peptides make it unique," says Osmotics founder Francine Porter. The line claims to increase luminosity and firmness without the risk of irritation associated with retinoids and glycolic acids.

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The antiaging copper-embedded pillowcase is flying off the shelves at Bergdorf Goodman

Beauty sleep is getting a heavy-metal makeover as well—and we're not just talking serums. Cupron, a Virginia-based copper-technology developer, has invented Iluminage ($60), a satin pillowcase embedded with microscopic copper particles, which are absorbed by the skin while you slumber. Biochemist Gadi Borkow, a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the chief medical scientist of Cupron, was involved in several double-blind trials. "After just one month of sleeping on the pillow, we saw a significant reduction in wrinkles and fine lines," Borkow says. For those worried about lopsided results, he adds that 70 percent of the people in the study slept on both sides of their face. (Inquiring minds wanted to know.) The antiaging Iluminage pillowcase is flying off the shelves at Bergdorf Goodman.

The properties of copper peptides are now even being applied to hair. New York dermatologist Dennis Gross, whose much beloved Alpha Beta Peel pads ($82) already employ copper, is harnessing the metal in his new Root Resilience Anti-Aging Scalp Serum ($54). "Any issue you have when it comes to your hair—volume, texture, or shine—starts with the scalp," Gross says. "The copper peptides in the serum stimulate the collagen in your hair follicle, which helps promote thick hair and volume." (An independent lab study backs up the theory.) Results can be seen in two weeks.

RapidLash Eyelash and Eyebrow Enhancing Serum ($50) uses a copper tripeptide to boost hair growth only in the facial areas where that is actually desirable. Not content with topical solutions, the skin-care brand Murad created Age Reform Youth Builder Dietary Supplement ($50 for a 30-day supply), which includes copper. "It works with zinc and vitamin C to form elastin," says dermatologist and founder Howard Murad. "Studies show a 34 percent reduction in fine lines in five weeks." Pills or pillowcases, skin or scalp serums, one thing is clear: Those copper-loving Egyptians were definitely onto something. Now about that promise of eternal life….

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